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I still have yet to ski 12 months in a row (something about New England residency and being several thousand years too late for the last glaciers in these parts), but I have now skied 15 Octobers in a row (one on natural snow in CA, five on natural snow in northern New England, and nine back when Killington used to stage early openings).Each year I think the streak is going to end, but somehow a freak storm pulls through.This year, snow fell briefly and intensely in northern Vermont last night (Friday). I chose Bolton Valley for today (Saturday), where in areas that were not affected by the wind or water bars, I measured seven inches.I did three skin laps at the alpine area, then switch over to cross country gear for a tour on the nordic trail network.Snow was on the heavy side, but still a nice way to kick off the season (and keep going my own streaks of sorts).

Conditions like that call out for the proper equipment: rock skis . . . and not just any old rock skis, but the wife's rock skis.(As my brother memorably said while back East over one Thanksgiving for some truly horrible conditions on skis I had borrowed for him: "These skis are perfect: they're old, soft, and somebody else's.")